House Of Earth, the "lost" novel by Woody Guthrie, which was published this year. Dylan and Jeff Rosen are listed on the acknowledgement page as providing "smart feedback" after reading the manuscript.

Joined: Tue August 28th, 2007, 07:16 GMTPosts: 23535Location: any where a music tragic might be found

Johanna Parker wrote:

House Of Earth, the "lost" novel by Woody Guthrie, which was published this year. Dylan and Jeff Rosen are listed on the acknowledgement page as providing "smart feedback" after reading the manuscript.

Whilst researching for my own, soon to be published, definitive opus on the man behind the radio hour, "Can You Cook and Sow? MakeFlowers Grow - Bob Dylan and the W.I.", I came upon an interesting fact (pg.23, paragraph 3.) that Bob was reading "Walking in the Cotswolds." by Pauline Kearny (slowtraveluk&ireland). He was looking to find an answer to the age old question that he had posed. "How many roads must a man walk down?2

Joined: Tue August 28th, 2007, 07:16 GMTPosts: 23535Location: any where a music tragic might be found

Hanging Judge wrote:

Whilst researching for my own, soon to be published, definitive opus on the man behind the radio hour, "Can You Cook and Sow? MakeFlowers Grow - Bob Dylan and the W.I.", I came upon an interesting fact (pg.23, paragraph 3.) that Bob was reading "Walking in the Cotswolds." by Pauline Kearny (slowtraveluk&ireland). He was looking to find an answer to the age old question that he had posed. "How many roads must a man walk down?2

Joined: Wed June 19th, 2013, 20:24 GMTPosts: 22Location: Sleepin' in the woods by a fire in the night.

I'm sure Dylan is well-read. I don't think he would write as well as he does if he wasn't. Also, as eclectic as he is with everything, I very much doubt he stuck himself with only one kind of books.However, some of the references in his songs might be just name-dropping: for example, "like Verlaine and Rimbaud's" on "You're Gonna Make me Lonesome When You Go", could be merely because their love affair is well known, and not because he read either of them. I would understand if he hasn't... I personally think I wouldn't enjoy their poetry that much if all that was available to me was a translation.

I'll tell you one thing, if I'd read 1/4 of the library books visitors might have seen on my coffee table over the years I'd be the smartest man in America. As it stands I usually only finish the Dylan books...so back to Bob:

I guess what emu is insinuating is that whatever Dylan has said about what he has or hasn't read should be taken with a grain of salt at best, but in the end, if we didn't believe his words, this thread would be worthless in the first place. Of course we won't know for sure which one of his autobiographies he really has or hasn't read. I used interviews as source and in quite a few of them he has said that he has ONLY read Robert Shelton's. But I also know that he reportedly told Scaduto that he "liked his book".

Since you're talking about Dylan talking, it's not clear which book Dylan liked or if he read said book.

Joined: Tue August 28th, 2007, 07:16 GMTPosts: 23535Location: any where a music tragic might be found

stjulienlepauvre wrote:

TheGunfighter wrote:

I guess what emu is insinuating is that whatever Dylan has said about what he has or hasn't read should be taken with a grain of salt at best, but in the end, if we didn't believe his words, this thread would be worthless in the first place. Of course we won't know for sure which one of his autobiographies he really has or hasn't read. I used interviews as source and in quite a few of them he has said that he has ONLY read Robert Shelton's. But I also know that he reportedly told Scaduto that he "liked his book".

Since you're talking about Dylan talking, it's not clear which book Dylan liked or if he read said book.

He read Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain and Larry Brown's Father and Son in 1997 (the year both came out.) The former's imagery and ambience can be felt, (or at least I feel it), in certain parts of TOOM and Cross the Green Mountain.

He mentioned reading both in a chat during a break in an interview. The comments did not form part of the interview itself. As I was a tad obsessive in those days, I picked up on the comments and promptly read both books. Well, I'd have to have been obsessive to have known about the remarks in the first place, I guess.

She says "You don't read women authors do ya?"At least that's what I think I hear her sayWell I say "How would you know, and what would it matter anyway?"Well she says "Ya just don't seem like ya do"I said "You're way wrong"She says "Which ones have you read then?", I say "Read Erica Jong" ("Highlands")

He knows of it. I'll bet he's read it. But how has he read it ? There's a knowingness here, to my ears, confirmed, I think, by the not quite suppressed laugh in Bob's voice as he sings this. Fear of Flying" is a book that could be read "straight," in terms of a feminist novel of development, and manifesto for freedom of identity, but it could be read, alternatively or simultaneously, for its potentially salacious interest to the prurient. Bob's playing with both possibilities, to hilarious effect, in my hearing of this hypnotic lyric.

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